Focusing and illuminating device for cameras



Jail. 1, 1952 E. J. ROSSMAN EIAL 2,581,300

FOCUSING AND ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR CAMERAS Filed May 23, 1949 2Sl-lEETSSl-IEET 1 IN V EN TORS A r ran/v: r

Jan. 1, 1952 E. J. RossMAN ET AL F OCUSING AND ILLUMINATING DEVICE FORCAME RAS Filed May 25, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 -LLI ' INVENTORS fawn/90dFr'oss m/v BY Diyrorz 7550206? '4 T TO ENE) Patented Jan. 1, 1952IFOGUSINGJAND T ILLUMINATING' DEVICE FOR CAMERAS 'EdwarflllL-Rossman andByron'F. Bower, Aurora, Ill

appuemmmayzs, 1949, SerlalNo. 94,876

This invention relates to photographic equipment, and more particularlyto a focusing and illuminating device, hereinafter termed an adaptor forfacilitating the focusing of acamera.

The objectof the invention-is to ,provide an adaptor which will :enablethe user to .quickly and accurately focus aicamerawithoutthe use oftapes, measuring rods and the like.

Another object-of the invention is to provide an adaptor which can beused .to focus'various types of cameras, the adaptor ipermittingaccurate focusing in ordinarily inaccessible places such-.as themucous-membranes-of the posterior pharynx, body cavities and the like.

Still anotherobject of the invention is to pro vide an adaptor whichincludes floodlights'and focusing lights which are -manually moved inorder torfocus the camera and properly light up the object beingphotographed.

A further objectof-thezinvention is to provide a-camera adaptor which.is -extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and --advantages will be apparent duringthe courseof the.followingdescription.

Inthe accompanying drawings, forming apart of this application, randtinwhich likeznumerals are used to designate like parts .throughout thesame:

Lignrelisa frontelevationalview of the camera adaptor, with partsbrokenawayand in sec- .ticn, according to the present invention;

Figure .2 is a top plan view of the camera adapter, with parts-brokenaway and in section;

Figure 31s a sectional .view .taken .on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is asectional view .taken-on .theline 4--4.of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the use of theadaptorgwhen-focusing va jcamera.

Referring in detail to the .drawings, .the adaptor for the cameracomprises a base whichincludes atop swan I-l,.and.-secured to the topwall H or formed integral therewith iisza front wall t2. A .rear wall 13is arranged in spaced parallel relation-with respect to the front walll2 and is secured to the top wall -H or formed integral with the latter.The base 10 further includesend-walls -I4and l5 which extend betweenthefrontr and rearwallsand the end walls Hand .15 are arranged inzspacedparallelrelaticn withsrespectxto each other. A bota suitable bolt andnut -assembly |8, the strip I'I being secured to the base *Hl.

-2 .The front wall I2 is provided witha calibrated scale l9, Figure l,which is arranged adjacent .thetop thereof and arranged just below thescale I9 is an elongated slot 20. A lever 21 projects 5 through the slotand a suitablebolt and nut assembly 9 pivotally connects the lever .2lto the top wall ll of the base Hlifor a purpose to be later described.

The top wall H .is provided with a pair of spaced circular cutouts 8adjacent the .front thereof. A first lamp housing 22 .is rotatablysupportedin one of the cutouts B and .a second lamp housing 231srotatablysupported in the other cutout 2|. .Since each of the lamphousings 22 and .23 have the same construction, it .willsufiice todescribe only one in detail. Thus, each .of the housings comprisesasupport member-ilwhich is :rotatably seated inthe cutout 2| and thesupport -memberl i carries asocket 25 which supports therein-afloodlight bulb 23 which may be a 500 watt .bulb. Each of the housings22 and 23 carries a large'lens 21 which is maintained in .an embossedhole 28 by a slidable gate 29,the gate serving to prevent accidentalmovement of thelargelensl'l out of the hole 28. The lens ZIserves tofocus the beamof light emitted by the floodlight bulb-26. Further, eachofuthe. housings Hand 23 are. provided with a vent 29'-in its top,to'insure adequate ventilation 'forthe interior of the "housings.

For rotating the housings 22-and -23simultaneously' in oppositedirections,.a linkage arrangement is provided. Thus, a first link-30 hasone of.its;ends pivotally:connectedxto the lever "2| by a'pin j3l,whilethe-otherend of .thelink;30 is pivotally-connectedatoan ear :1 of aclamp 33 by a. pin 3.2. The :clamp '33 is arranged in embracing.relationnwith respect to :thetsupport member on the .;lower end :of :thehousing 2-2. A :second link 34f has .one'of its ends pivotally:connected tothe rear :end of :theilever 2! byimeans of a ".pin35,1whi1e the other .end of the .lever 34 is 'pivotally connectedto aneari31 by a pin.38,'the ear 31.-being formed'integral with or secured toa clamp L39. The .clamp.39 isarranged in .embracing relation withrespect to the support member on t'h'ei'lowerzend of the housing23. Asuitable bolt'an'd nut assembly- 40 maintains each of 'the clamps 33 and39 on itsrespective support member. "The housings?! and23' are securedto the "support members -24 by suitable securing elements, such asscrews M so that manual movement-0f the lever '21 causes simultaneousrotation of the housings -22 and 23 in 55 "opposite directions.

Arranged below the large lens 27 in the housing 22 is an extensionmounting 42 which has a piano-convex lens 44 mounted therein. A similarextension mounting 43 is arranged below the large lens 21 in the housing23 and the extension mounting 43 also carries a piano-convex lens 44.Arranged rearwardly of each of the extension mountings 42 and 43 andpositioned in each of the lamp housings 22 and 23 is a focusing light 45which is releasably supported on a plate 46 by means of a clip 4'1. Thebeams of light from the focusing lights 45 are adapted to converge at apoint in order to aid the user in focusing the camera.

The camera which is to be used for taking the photographs is shown inbroken lines and is indicated generally by the numeral 48, the cameraincluding the usual adaptor lens 49. The base it has a slot 55 wherebyany 35 mm. camera or reflex camera can be accommodated thereon and thecamera 48 is adjustably supported on the top wall l I of the base Ii],so that the camera can be moved to any desired position. Thus, the topwall H is provided with the slot 58 and projecting through the slot 55is a threaded shank or bolt 5i, the upper end of the bolt 5! beingarranged in threaded engagement with a socket in the bottom of thecamera 48. A knurled disc 52 is connected to the lower end of the bolt5! for rotating the latter, and the knurled disc 52 convenientlyprojects through an elongated slot 53 in the rear wall l3 in order topermit rotation of the disc by the users hand. The disc 52 is arrangedwithin the base it, and arranged above the top wall H is an exteriorlyknurled bushing 54 which is arranged in threaded engagement with thebolt 5!. Thus, the bushing 54 can be tightened or loosened on the bolt51 in order to permit shifting movement of the camera 48. The bushing 54is knurled exteriorly to facilitate manual rotation thereof, and uponproper rotation of the bushing 54 and disc 52, the bushing 54 can beloosened on the bolt 5% to permit the camera 48 to be shifted to thedesired location. After the camera has been located properly, thebushing 54 is again tightened on the bolt 5! to maintain the camera 48immobile in its adjusted position. Suitable nuts 55 are circumposed onthe bolt 5| and serve to properly space the disc 52 from the top wallll.

Arranged rearwardly of the lamp housing 22 and secured to the base It isa tubular member 55, and a similar tubular member 57 is arrangedrearwardly of the lamp housing 23 and is also secured to the base 10.The tubular members 53 and 51 serve as hand grips when the adaptor isbeing used. Carried by the tubular member 55 is a momentary contactswitch 58 for actuating the focusing lights 45, and carried by the othertubular member 5'! is a momentary contact switch 59 for actuating the500 watt fioodlights 26. A bracket 69 is secured to the inner surface ofthe rear wall l3, and the bracket 55 carries a male plug Bl which iselectrically connected by suit-' able cables to the floodlights andfocusing lights and the member 6| is also electrically connected to theswitches 58 and 59. The adaptor is connected to a suitable source ofelectrical energy by means of a cable 82 which has a female plug 63arranged in engagement with the male plug 5 i In use, the lever 2| ispositioned in accordance with a calibration on the scale l9 as describedbelow. Then, the beams from the focusing lights 45 will pass through theextension mountings 42 and 45 and will superimpose or cross at a pointequivalent to the focal length of the lens 49 of the camera 48. Thisarrangement permits quick focusing without the use of tapes, measuringrods, and the like, and permits accurate focusing in ordinarilyinaccessible places, such as the mucous membranes of the posteriorpharynx, body cavities and the like.

The camera can be set or focused without requiring a high degree ofskill. The tubular member 51 contains the momentary contact switch 58which serves to actuate the focusing lights 45, While the other tubularmember 51 carries the momentary contact switch 55 for actuating the 500watt floodlights 2B. Thus, in using the camera, the lever 2| ispositioned at the selected calibrated distance for focusing, and thenthe switch 58 is depressed to thereby actuate the focusing lights 45.Then, the adaptor and camera are moved forward toward the object beingphotographed until the two focusing spots from the lights aresuperimposed. The pressure on the switch 58 is then released, and thenthe momentary contact switch 59 is depressed to actuate the fioodlights25. Immediately thereafter, the camera shutter is tripped by means of acable release 64, the cable release 64 being supported on the tubularmember 56 by a bracket or clip Thus, it will be seen that by moving thelever 2!, both of the lamp housings 22 and 23 will be movedsimultaneously and in opposite directions in order to cause the lightbeams to converge at required distances from the camera lens. Thelinkage 3!] and 34 and the lever causes both lamp houses to rotate by asingle movement of the lever 2 i. Further, as best seen in Figure 5, thefocal lengths of the camera lens 4'3 is readily ascertained by havingthe beams from the focusing lights 45 converge at a single point. Theadaptor is so constructed that the floodlights 26 and the focusinglights 45 move in unison when the actuating lever 21 is adjusted.Further, the clip 4! enables the pin point focusing lights 45 to beadjusted in order to insure that the lights 45 are in the same plane sothat the position of the lights 45 will corre spond with thecalibrations of the adaptor.

What we claim:

1. In a focusing and illuminating device, a flat rectangular base, apair of housings pivotally mounted on said base spaced along the frontside of the top surface of said base, a lens mounted in the front sideof each of said housings, an electric lamp mounted within each of saidhousings in rear of said lenses, tubular elements projecting from thefront sides of said housings below said lenses, other lenses mountedwithin said tubular elements, an electricl lamp mounted within each ofsaid housings in line with said tubular elements, means on said base tosupport a camera rearwardly of said housings in centered relation withrespect thereto and with the camera lens axis extending between saidhousings, means mounted on the lower side of said base and operativelyconnected with said housings for simultaneously adjusting the sameequally and in opposite directions about their respective pivots todirect light beams projected by said lenses to establish a focal pointat a given focal distance from the lens of the camera, and switch meansmounted on said base at opposite sides of the camera for controllingsaid lamps, the first lamps independently of the second lamps.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, with the said supporting meansfor the camera com- 5 prised in a laterally adjustable base plate foraccurately centering the camera relatively to said housings.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, with the said adjusting meansfor said housings comprised in a lever pivotally mounted below said baseand having an end thereof projecting forwardly beyond the front side ofthe base, and laterally disposed links pivoted at one of their endscentrally with respect to the rear sides of said housings and at theirother ends to said lever to either side of the pivot mounting thereof.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 with circular members rotatablymounted in said base and supporting said housings and said adjustingmeans for the housings comprised in a lever pivotaliy mounted below saidbase and having an end thereof projecting forwardly beyond the frontside of the base, a disc rotatably mounted on the lower side of saidbase and having a portion of its periphery projecting beyond the rearside of the base and carrying the pivot mounting of the lever, andlaterally disposed links pivoted at one of their ends to said circularmembers and at their other ends to said levers to either side of thepivot mounting thereof.

EDWARD J. ROSSMAN.

BYRON F. BOWER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,200,458 Steiner May 14, 19402,239,379 Bucky Apr. 22, 1941 2,279,443 Chanosky Apr. 14, 1942 2,305,437Meyers et al. Dec. 15, 1942 2,312,261 Mills Feb. 23, 1943 2,314,829Hunter Mar. 23, 1943 2,337,463 Hall Dec. 21, 1943 2,371,593 Gorey et a1.Mar. 13, 1945 2,403,308 Schwartz et al. July 2, 1946

